Wen Yusui stood silently where she was, finding the whole situation utterly ironic.
“Huaichuan, look at this man. He’s defending Wen Yusui with all his heart. Maybe the two of them have already been living together!” Qiao Yao kept tugging on Gu Huaichuan’s arm, repeating the accusation over and over.
Gu Huaichuan had actually seen through He Yanzhou’s feelings for Wen Yusui long ago. So seeing the two of them looking so close still made jealousy churn inside him. With Qiao Yao constantly emphasizing it, his irritation only grew.
“Wen Yusui, we haven’t even divorced yet, and you’ve already been eager to find your next man. Don’t you have any sense of propriety? Do you have no shame at all?” Gu Huaichuan looked at the two of them with disgust.
Wen Yusui had been keeping quiet for a long time, but Gu Huaichuan’s words finally detonated all the patience and anger she had been suppressing.
“Gu Huaichuan, I’ve really put up with you for long enough! Just because the tiger hasn’t shown its claws, you think I’m Hello Kitty? How dare you have the nerve to accuse me of having no morals? Take a good look at what you’re holding in your arms. And you still have the audacity to criticize me? Who do you think you are?”
Gu Huaichuan’s face turned livid.
Wen Yusui still had no intention of letting him off and continued relentlessly, “Every single time, you deliberately pick a fight and then do nothing but demand that I apologize—to you, to your mother, to your mistress. When you used to shower, did all the water flow into your ears and straight into your brain? Is that why your head is full of water?”
Before Gu Huaichuan could respond, Qiao Yao spoke first.
“Wen Yusui! Is your mouth incapable of speaking like a normal human being?”
Wen Yusui laughed softly and asked, “Are you two human? How come I’ve never noticed? He Yanzhou, can you tell?”
He Yanzhou shook his head. “I really can’t.”
“You!”
Qiao Yao was completely speechless.
“You what? Hurry up and get lost!” Wen Yusui waved her hand. “Stop getting in my way and ruining my appetite. You two have practically made all the food smell rotten!”
He Yanzhou looked at Wen Yusui and said gently, “In that case, I’ll have them make you another table of dishes.”
Gu Huaichuan saw that staying any longer would only make things worse for them, so he pulled Qiao Yao away.
However, when they reached the doorway, Qiao Yao gave Gu Huaichuan a meaningful look.
Understanding immediately, Gu Huaichuan raised his phone and snapped a clear photo of Wen Yusui sitting together with He Yanzhou.
After they left, He Yanzhou was just about to call a server over and have the dishes remade when Wen Yusui stopped him.
“Forget it! I’m not hungry anymore either. Come take a walk with me.”
“Okay.”
He Yanzhou nodded.
The two of them walked slowly side by side.
The evening breeze drifted past. Wen Yusui closed her eyes, while He Yanzhou stood beside her, his gaze fixed on her without saying a word.
After a long while, Wen Yusui finally spoke.
“Sorry you had to witness that.”
He Yanzhou replied softly, “It’s fine. Choosing the wrong person isn’t your fault.”
Wen Yusui smiled.
“Yeah, it wasn’t my fault… But why did it have to happen to me? Do you think all men are fickle? They’re never faithful, and they’ll do anything for power.”
He Yanzhou turned his head toward Wen Yusui.
Although she was smiling, there was an immeasurable amount of bitterness hidden in her eyes.
Seeing her like this, the feelings he had suppressed for years were almost impossible to contain. He nearly blurted out that not all men were as heartless as Gu Huaichuan.
But the moment he opened his mouth, Wen Yusui turned to look at him first.
With a soft sigh, she said, “I think maybe all the men in this world are the same.”
After saying that, she tugged the corners of her lips up and continued apologetically, “Sorry. I know you’re a man too. Saying that probably hurt you as well. Don’t take it to heart. I just couldn’t help complaining.”
He Yanzhou didn’t blame her. He simply gazed at her quietly, a hint of heartache rising in his eyes.
His voice was gentle yet serious as he said, “It’s fine. I won’t take offense. But Yusui, don’t let one Gu Huaichuan make you deny everyone else.”
“At least…”
He Yanzhou paused and didn’t continue.
Wen Yusui was curious.
“At least? What? Is there something you can’t say?”
He Yanzhou shook his head.
“There’s nothing I can’t say. I just want to tell you a story first.”
“Sure!”
Wen Yusui loved listening to stories. At least stories always had happy endings.
He Yanzhou gazed into the distance, his thoughts seemingly drifting far away.
Just as Wen Yusui began to wonder if he had gotten stuck, he finally spoke.
“Once upon a time, there was a boy who was best friends with another boy. They could talk about anything. The two of them fell in love with the same girl.”
“What a clichéd story…” Wen Yusui muttered under her breath, but she didn’t interrupt He Yanzhou.
He continued, “The girl really loved acting, but she wasn’t professionally trained, so she could only take minor roles on film sets. Both boys felt sorry for her. So they made a decision. One of them founded a company for her, while the other switched careers and became her agent.”
Wen Yusui looked up at He Yanzhou.
Why was she beginning to feel as though this story had actually happened?
“After that, the girl lived up to their expectations and became a famous actress. Gradually, she fell in love with one of the two boys.”
When He Yanzhou said this, there was not the slightest change in his expression.
Wen Yusui assumed that the actress must have chosen him. Otherwise, why would he sound so calm?
But where was that woman now?
Seeing the certainty on Wen Yusui’s face, He Yanzhou knew she was making wild guesses about the plot again.
Still, he didn’t explain anything and continued.
“The girl fell in love with the boy who had founded a company for her…”
As soon as he said this, Wen Yusui looked stunned.
So she had guessed wrong?
Then why didn’t He Yanzhou look sad at all?
“The other boy found out. At first, he was somewhat heartbroken. But because the two of them were best friends, he decided to step aside and let them be together. Only he knew the real reason why he chose to withdraw.”
At this point, He Yanzhou stopped.
Wen Yusui was completely engrossed in the story and hurriedly asked, “So what was the real reason? What happened afterward?”
He Yanzhou looked into Wen Yusui’s eyes and said each word with deliberate focus.
“The real reason was that the boy had actually only ever regarded the girl as a substitute. So he chose to step aside and let his best friend have her.”
Wen Yusui raised a hand to cover her mouth in shock, her voice dropping.
“So… you—No, I mean, that boy only saw that girl as a substitute from the very beginning? The person he actually loved was another girl.”
He Yanzhou nodded.
Wen Yusui continued asking, “Then who did he really love? Why didn’t he pursue the person he loved?”
“Because the woman he loved had already married someone else…”